Published 2 years ago
by
Sandy Schaefer
, Updated June 11th, 2012 at 11:33 am,

The press junket for Amazing Spider-Man provided producers Avi Arad and Matthew Tolmach with an opportunity to discuss such topics as the Venom movie spinoff, and how it will imitate TASM‘s modernized, grounded portrayal of the Spider-Man universe.

Arad and Tolmach also hinted at their intention to follow Marvel Studios’ example and maintain narrative continuity between all upcoming Spider-Man films (similar to the planned DC superhero universe). Furthermore, Marvel’s Avengers success has increased the likelihood of a cross-over featuring Spidey, according to Arad.

Here’s what Arad and Tolmach told Crave Online, with regards to the Venom spinoff:

“As you know, Venom [in the comics] is defender of the innocent. The only guy he really, really hates is Peter Parker, Spider-Man. The reason you didn’t see more development on Venom in the comics is because this power that he was given, he knew who Peter was, he knew who Spider-Man was, so go kill him already. We always struggle with storylines and you see the new Venom books. It’s Flash in Iraq. We know that if we put him in a certain position and concentrate on the human, not on the creature, which I thought was a really good beginning in ['Spider-Man 3].”

Spider-Man 3 was heavily-criticized by fans for not devoting a sufficient amount of screen time to developing Eddie Brock/Venom. It didn’t help that the character was watered down into a stereotypical sleazy photographer, motivated by his own self-interest – instead of the over-ambitious journalist whose suicidal and vengeful desires fuel the Venom symbiote, after he is disgraced in the original “Amazing Spider-Man” comic book storyline. Tolmach conceded as much during the interview:

“The truth is he also deserves his own movie. We’ve been sitting around in a room talking about Venom stories and it’s a really full bodied complicated character, Eddie Brock and this character. Maybe people feel there wasn’t enough of a chance to unravel it, but we’re all in on him.”

Previous reports that Chronicle director Josh Trank was circling Venom has helped to generate positive buzz, and inspired hope for a more nuanced iteration of the Eddie Brock/Venom character – similar to the anti-hero/villain who defends “the innocent” in the comics. Although that stone was left unturned during their TASM interview, Tolmach and Arad did offer assurances that Venom will “stay close to the bible, stay close to the emotional story” of Eddie Brock.

However, Arad also alluded to the idea that Venom will modernize the character, saying (in a separate interview with Hollywood.com):

“[Pseudo-sceince] is becoming science. All these tidbits about webs, artificial webs, is a huge industry now. Spiderwebs have unique qualities that will be huge for communications, fibers, and so forth. So we have taken the approach that we want to make the huge amazing movie about Eddie.”

Arad’s comments are worth noting, as it’s been pretty much acknowledged by now that Amazing Spider-Man primarily draws from the more contemporary “Ultimate Spider-Man” comic book continuity. Yet, in spite of that, the decision for Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) to utilize self-made web-shooters seems like more of a throwback to the Stan Lee/Steve Ditko Spider-Man comics from the 1960s. That is, unless you look at it from the perspective that Arad mentioned.

Pete builds an artificial web-shooter in 'Amazing Spider-Man'

That the worlds of Amazing Spider-Man and Venom will “make sense with one another” in terms of tone and their comparatively realistic design, is essentially a given (according to Arad and Tolmach); hence, the two universes could organically mesh together in a future Amazing Spider-Movie sequel. Arad also offered a glimmer of hope for fans who’ve been hoping that the web-slinger could show up in a future Avengers sequel:

“Everything is possible. If something like that happens, it’s great for Disney, it’s great for Sony. If the right story comes in, we are now working on ‘Venom’ first. It’s our first out. So our thinking is in the right direction. ‘Avengers’ to me was an expected success so I never looked at it because ‘Avengers’ was successful.”

Will Sony make a serious push to get in on the billion-dollar pie that is Marvel’s Avengers franchise? The financial incentive is certainly there – and, as everyone should know by now, that’s ultimately the bottom line in Hollywood.

To cap all that off: check out a recent featurette for The Amazing Spider-Man, focusing on Rhys Ifans as Dr. Curt Connors/The Lizard:

The Amazing Spider-Man swings into theaters around the U.S. on July 3rd, 2012.

123 Comments

Post a Comment

Want to change your avatar?Go to Gravatar.com and upload your own (we'll wait)!

Name (required)

Mail (will not be published) (required)

Rules: No profanity or personal attacks. Use a valid email address or risk being banned from commenting.

Notify me of followup comments via e-mail

If your comment doesn't show up immediately, it may have been flagged for moderation. Please try refreshing the page first, then drop us a note and we'll retrieve it.

CrazilyOB3ast 2 years ago

The Spidey series is so focused on 1 villain at a time. I think it is about time for a sinestersix movie. I mean give Spidey real challenge. Anyway I like the idea for a Venom movie, but like many said, it would not sell well with die hard fans. Marvel.heroes, just are not them selves. Even with the villains.

My idea? Have the symbiote attach to spider-man somewhere in the middle of the movie, and instead of spider-man becomming more agressive as quickly as he did in spider man 3, allow him to actually defeat whoever the villain will be in TASM 2 as the black-suited spider-man then he get’s rid of it. The symbiote then attaches to Eddie Brock at the end of TASM 2 leading to the Venom movie where he actually defeats spider-man for a change then bring him back for TASM 3 where Venom ultimately loses

Listen i want that Venom movie as much as everyone else but what i don’t wan’t is another Spiderman 3 f*** up okay, good things will come to thoose who wait.

Now the Death of Gwen Stacey is shure to happen in the next Amazing Spiderman sequel and that’s vitaly important for the caracter let’s not forget that.

Venom must be introduced the right way.
Maybe with the succes of the Avengers the secret wars film could be possible and then at the end of that Spidey’s got the black costume, into the wallcrawler movie with him in black and then by the end of that the suit lands on Eddie Brock

What would be great if they stuck with the original venom suit that it’s alien and NOT ultimate, I like that they use bits from the ultimate universe but venom deserves better treatment, and my best idea for a venom film even though they probably already have their minds on the motion picture, it would be epically cool if you did a picture on Eddie Brock’s perspective of events happening in the amazing spiderman series and his downfall with the job at the bugle and then lead into where the amazing spiderman sequel leaves off where Peter greats rid of the suit and Eddie requires it and you see through his eyes his rise as to becoming venom. That’s probably the best idea I could come up with but I don’t understand why the black suit has to come on by so soon, and on one last note DO NOT have Eddie Brock portrayed by a guy that’s skinny like in spiderman 3, he needs to be a body builder and a bully cause that’s what makes him scary and a fun film to read in comic books and hopefully to watch on the big screen.

Keep saying whatever anyone wants, you been making incorrect statements through the whole post anyway. But Venom IS an anti-hero, though he didn’t start off that way. He had his own run called “Lethal Protector”. He did protect the innocent, but at the same time when he got the bad guy he would kill them and eat their brains. (for those of you unfamiliar, I did not make up the brains, brains hold nutrients vital to the symbiote) He never lost the drive to be better than spider-man, but he did do terrible things for good reasons. Definition of an anti-hero.

i think a venom film is needed just venom as the main villian because in my opinion venom is properly one of my faviorite villians, have a venom film then at the end build up to carnage in the next film or something or bring back dor oc or this talk of eletro would be alrght. plus make venom bigger and scarier in spiderman 3 he wasent all that lol